School fighting causes concern

Jeff Kolkey and Sadie Gurman

Friday

Feb 29, 2008 at 12:01 AMFeb 29, 2008 at 9:40 PM

Fed up with a recent spate of fights, Interim School Superintendent Linda Hernandez went to West Middle School to tell students it’s time they behave and respect authority. But some students had other ideas.

Fed up with a recent spate of fights, Interim School Superintendent Linda Hernandez went to West Middle School to tell students it’s time they behave and respect authority.
But some students had other ideas.

A police officer was pushed, a girl was “jumped,” a teacher was threatened and two girls faced off — all in about three hours, before she arrived at the school, and after she left.

“It’s atypical,” said Police Sgt. Mike Spelman, who is the head of the police department’s school liaison officers. “I don’t know what’s caused it.”

The string of spontaneous fights at the middle school on Wednesday, combined with more serious brawls last week, prompted Hernandez to assign two additional administrators to the building Thursday.

Fighting among girls
Wednesday’s fights are also unusual, officials say, because they happened mostly among girls no older than 13. As administrators seek ways to quash the violence, experts say such outbursts can be a sign of more serious trouble.

Aggression among 12- and 13-year-olds, especially girls, can spawn from problems others might consider petty, such as boyfriends or physical appearances, said Janet Beger, a private Rockford social worker who often works with teenagers. Other times, fights among girls can be a sign of trouble at home, of low self-esteem or of a desperate desire for attention, she said.

“Girls tend to mature faster than boys, so they think they know a lot, and they really don’t,” Beger said. “Emotionally, they’re immature.”

Wednesday’s events
The first of Wednesday’s fights happened about 12:15 p.m. on the school’s second floor, where two girls, ages 12 and 13, prepared to physically fight each other, Spelman said. The girls, whose names police won’t release because they are juveniles, were charged with disorderly conduct.

Five minutes later, at 12:20 p.m., an officer broke-up a fight between two other girls and was punched in the shoulder. A 13-year-old girl was charged with battery against a police officer in that incident.

At 1:45 p.m., a 12-year-old boy stood face to face with a female teacher and threatened to hit her, Spelman said, resulting in an assault charge against him.

The final fight of the day was outside at the buses during the school’s 3:30 p.m. dismissal, when one girl “jumped” another girl and was charged with battery, Spelman said.

“It was just a busy day at West,” he said. “It’s not typically like this.”

Hernandez delivered two seven-minute speeches — at 1:40 and 2:10 p.m. — to students Wednesday in the middle school’s auditorium after fights last week sparked concern from Rockford School Board members about the level of violence at West.

‘Whatever it takes’
On Thursday, Assistant Superintendent Thomas Schmitt said Hernandez pledged to do “whatever it takes to make that school safe.”

The addition of two administrators means a total of six administrators stationed there.

“The goal is to intervene in situations before they become incidents and to process referrals fairly and promptly,” Schmitt said. “The best intervention and best consequences are those applied quickly. Hopefully, there will be a remarkable improvement, starting today.”

On Feb. 22, a pair of eighth-graders are accused of attacking school police officers and other students attacked school staff in separate altercations. A 14-year-old boy is accused of punching a female officer in the head after she tried to de-escalate a brewing fight in the hallway. When another officer came to her aid, a friend of the boy jumped into the fracas and attacked the officers as well.

A female officer was kicked in the head and the chest before the officers restored order. Meanwhile, in the school’s gymnasium, personnel broke up a fight between two 14-year-old girls. The students involved in Friday’s fights face charges of felony aggravated battery.

Schmitt said officials encourage West students to report any incident where they feel threatened to an administrator instead of turning to a physical confrontation.

“There is going to be a feeling of safety in this school,” Schmitt said. “There is going to be respect for all, from all, and the school is going to be a place about learning.”

A letter was being sent to parents, encouraging them to partner with the school to reduce violence. And Schmitt said there are also plans in the works to organize parenting classes for anyone interested.

Beger said a key to curbing violent behavior is making sure kids know they have an outlet to vent their frustrations.

“A youngster who can manage their emotions better will be able to get along with people much more successfully,” Beger said. “The schools are going to have to look at how to handle it.”

Staff writer Jeff Kolkey can be reached at 815-987-1374 or at jkolkey@rrstar.com. Staff writer Sadie Gurman can be reached at 815-987-1389.

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